Standard Shoulder Replacement Finally after 5 years - a new shoulder

[Jamie]

You know that old saying....."Necessity is the mother of invention." You are definitely resourceful in finding ways to get things done! Having done way too many bathroom remodels, I know what a pain it can be to work in such a small space. My hubby and I made a deal not to try and work together on bathrooms. That way our marriage survived the experience.... Usually I ended up doing most of the finish work because I'm so picky about everything. He was in charge of demo and cleanup.

 

[Lexus05]

Regarding Dr. Jones use of shoulder immobilizer his take home instructions now state: A shoulder immobilizer has been provided for you. You may wear this immobilizer as much or as little as you need for personal comfort. You may move your arm as instructed by the nurses and physical therapist during your stay. YOU MAY DO ACTIVE AND PASSIVE FLEXION AND EXTENSION OF THE ENTIRE ARM. DO ABDUCTION OR EXTERNAL ROTATION OF OPERATIVE ARM. Don't know if that last statement should read DO NOT ABDUCT OR EXTERNAL ROTATION OF OPERATIVE ARM?
Thus I am going around the house without the immobilizer, but always wear it when going out or bedtime of course. Today for some reason it's mad at me and hurting. Also did you have swelling in your hand and fingers on operative side? If so, how long did it take for swelling to go down?

 

[Jamie]

Dr. Jones was very concerned about my subscapularis muscle that he reattached breaking loose. From my years of not using my shoulder properly, the muscle had severely shortened and was extremely tight when he reattached it. So that was part of the reason he spoke so strongly about the sling.

But, on the day he released me, he told me I could leave it off during the day if I was where I could support my arm somewhat. That was pure heaven! So, from day one when I got home I didn't wear the sling at all during the day until I went to bed at night. I didn't need or take naps during the day or I probably would have worn it then. I didn't need a lot of icing as I had virtually no pain or swelling in my shoulder or arm. I consider myself very lucky about that.

If you have swelling, be sure and ice a lot for it. If you have any pain, take your meds on a set schedule as that will help keep inflammation down and reduce swelling. Go easy on any exercises as long as you're swollen BUT be sure you do at least passive pulley exercises twice a day to keep the shoulder loose.

If you have a question about the permitted movements, contact Dr. Jones's office. My instructions were different because I had that muscle problem. He or his nurse will know your case. You may be permitted more motion than I was. Obviously you shouldn't do anything that causes pain, though.

 

[Lexus05]

Last week on my 2 week post op mark, I had a major set back. I have fibromyalgia along with osteoarthritis and had sharp pain that nothing would touch. (Dr. Jones takes you off all narcotic pain meds now at your first post op visit). He made sure implants were o.k. and did doppler study for blood clots which were all negative. He put me on a nerve pain medicine which helped tremendously. I am nervous to be out of my immobilizer now so I keep it on most of the time. It's really not that bad.

Thank you for your information!

 

[Jamie]

I thought a shoulder update might be in order because at 4 1/2 years out from my shoulder replacement, I just noticed that I had improvements in my range of motion and strength. I guess it's been very gradual because I hadn't really noticed anything before now. But when I was placing ceramic dishes in the cabinet above shoulder height, I was not only stronger, but I could reach higher than I remember in previous years.

So, the lesson to be learned here is that improvements can come for a long time right after surgery.

Happy shoulders to you all!!!